Zootopia Scenes and Shorts
by GrandOldPenguin
Summary: A collection of unrelated short stories and slices of life featuring our Zootopia friends. Most take place after the movie. Most recent installment: "Academic Performance," published 12/10/18. May be updated if additional installments are written.
1. Thick Wallet

**"Thick Wallet"**

"Can I get you anything else?" the otter waitress asked as she returned to her guests' table at Skipper's Diner in Bunnyburrow.

Stu Hopps turned to his wife, who shook her head, and then looked across the table to Judy and Nick, Judy's partner at the ZPD, whom he and his wife were meeting for the first time. He looked back to the waitress. "No thank you, Marlene. Check, please."

Marlene left the check on the table and then went to see if her next table needed anything.

Better off now that he was earning honest money, Nick reached for the check, but Stu beat him to it. "No, no, let me pay," Stu said. "You're a guest here in Bunnyburrow."

"Thank you," Nick said. "But I owe you next time you're in Zootopia."

After calculating the tip in his head—easily, as he was good at multiplying—Stu took out his wallet.

Nick's eyes widened. "Now that's a thick wallet. If I had known there was that much money in carrot farming, I might have chosen a different path at age twelve."

Stu laughed. "We've had a good crop this year, but not that good a crop. It's mostly family photos in here."

"Judy's brothers and sisters," Bonnie said.

Nick playfully nudged Judy. "You never told me you have brothers and sisters."

"We've never had enough time together for me to tell you about them," Judy replied.

"Not enough time? We're in the cruiser together for eight hours each—" Something small then bumped Nick's chest and fell into his lap. He looked down and picked up the rolled-up end of the photo album from Stu's wallet and followed a string of photos across the table.

"Switch places with Bonnie and I'll show you the whole family," Stu said. "We have 233 sons and 248 daughters." He put a paw around his wife and smiled. "And a few more kits on the way."


	2. Three Minutes

**"Three Minutes"**

"Nick! Nick! Thank God you're OK!" Clawhauser said as Nick entered the precinct after the morning's terrible shooting. "Tell me honestly—will Judy survive?"

Nick had a face like a soldier who had witnessed the wipeout of his entire squad. "I don't know," he said, his voice full of pain and worry. "She is in extremely critical condition. Two bullets got her in the abdomen just below her vest and another in the shoulder."

The cheetah sighed. "Poor Judy." A tear fell onto the donut he had lost his appetite for when he had first learned that Judy was down.

"How are things going with the interrogation?" Nick asked. "Did the accomplice give up any information about the gunman yet?"

Clawhauser shook his head. "Wolford, McHorn, and the chief himself all tried, but he isn't saying a word."

Nick clenched his paws. His blood began coursing with livid heat and his whole body throbbed. "Then I'm getting answers out of him myself. No one gets away with hurting Judy."

With that, Nick left the front desk and entered the nonpublic areas of the precinct. He walked right past the interrogation rooms—there was one thing he needed to do first.

After a right turn and a left turn, Nick arrived in front of the evidence room. Entry was restricted to those who were given a special key, but Nick had picked more than a few locks over the years and saw this one as not much of a challenge. After checking that the coast was clear, he removed his badge and inserted the pin on the back into the keyhole. A few picks and a couple of bumps later, he was in.

Inside, Nick walked over to the area where evidence from cases that were closed within the past year was kept. After searching for less than a minute, he found the box he was looking for. He broke the tamper-evident seal and placed a small object from the box into his pocket before putting the box back and leaving the room.

After a left turn and a right turn, Nick was on his way to the interrogation room where the accomplice was being held when someone called him from behind.

"Wilde," Chief Bogo said, walking up to him, "I'm glad you're safe. But why are you here? You don't need to finish your shift. You've been through enough today."

"It's been a rough morning," Nick agreed, "but Clawhauser told me that the accomplice of the guy who shot Judy still hasn't said anything. I want to see if I can get him to talk."

Bogo shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. You're Hopps's partner; you're too close to her. And you're too shaken up from everything you experienced. Let the other officers handle this."

Nick replied with a head shake of his own. "I'm sorry, chief, but I can't do that. Judy is my partner, but she's so much more than that. I can't leave this to someone else. I think I'm the only one who can do this right now. Please. Just give me five minutes. That's all I ask."

Bogo could see that Nick was holding back tears as he spoke. The thought that someone might get away with attacking his best friend was unbearable to him. The chief sighed as he put a hoof on his officer's shoulder. " _Five_ minutes, Wilde. Not a second more. Then go home, for your own sake."

"Thank you, sir," Nick said. "And you're right. I am still shaken up, and I probably should get out of here for a while. Please let me know when the five minutes are up."

Bogo nodded and then walked away. Nick continued on his mission.

Mateo Orden, the mountain lion who had been arrested as the accomplice and would-be getaway driver in the failed jewelry store robbery and subsequent shootout, shook his head as Nick entered the interrogation room. "You're the fourth cop to come in here to try to get me to talk. But if I didn't squeal to the wolf or the rhino or the chief, what makes you think I want to talk to you? Get out, fox. You're wasting your time."

Calmly but with authority, Nick walked over to the table and sat down across from Mateo. He pointed at the front of his shirt and his tie. "Do you see this? I still have her blood on my uniform from when I picked her up off the street and tried my best to stop the bleeding while rushing her to the hospital. My partner is dying right now—she might even be dead—but instead of being at her bedside, holding her paw and praying to God, I'm here with you. I am the last mammal you want to have an attitude with."

Mateo just stared at the wall above Nick's head, not looking at the officer or his uniform. "I don't care about you or your partner. I'll be out of here soon. I have the best attorney in Zootopia."

Nick took a deep breath as he stood up. "Very well. I weigh eighty pounds and I don't need to go completely crazy, so I think half will be enough."

"What are you talking about?"

Nick struck the table with a clenched paw and leaned forward. Any calm was gone. "You had three opportunities to talk to other officers and didn't take them. Big mistake. This is your _last chance_ to do things the easy way. Are you _sure_ you don't want to tell me who he is and where he is?"

"I'm not saying anything to you."

Nick reached into his pocket and took out the night howler capsule he had taken from the evidence room. He looked at the clock on the wall. There were three minutes left until Bogo would come in and put a stop to him. He put the capsule to his lips and squeezed until about half the serum inside squirted out the tiny pinhole it had been filled through. The fox swallowed before leaning across the table again. "Yes, you will. You will tell me everything."


	3. Disturbing the Peace

**"Disturbing the Peace"**

After Duke Weaselton had been arrested by Chief Bogo for pickpocketing at Gazelle's concert, his bootleg movie business was discovered and shut down. As part of the investigation, Bogo assigned Nick and Judy to watch the DVDs he had seized to see how much the films infringed on the intellectual property rights of Wolf Disney Studios. They started watching at the precinct but were later given permission to take the DVDs home and report back the next day.

"Well that film was _otterly_ ridiculous," Nick said to Judy as the end credits of the otter-centric _Floatzen 2_ began to roll. The two had met up at Nick's apartment after their shift had ended in the evening to continue watching the films together. "But still better than _Birdtopia_ , right, Carrots?"

Judy didn't respond. Nick turned to her and quickly saw why. "Aww, you bunnies are so adorable when you sleep." He watched her for a moment, her chest gently rising and falling, an ear flopped over her eyes to shield the light, her nose wiggling. He thought about waking her, but couldn't. She was at such peace that it would be a misdemeanor offence to disturb it.

Nick stood up slowly and then placed a nearby blanket over the sleeping bunny. Although she had never stayed before, he didn't mind at all having her spend the night. "Good night, Carrots," he whispered. "Pleasant dreams."

Nick ejected the DVD from his DVD player and put it back in its case. He then put it with the other DVDs that he would take back to the precinct in the morning. He was about to get ready for bed when there was a sound from the couch.

 _Phffffffff. Phffffffff._

"Carrots," he whispered, "are you OK?" He walked up to the couch and determined that she was only snoring. He was relieved but a little uneasy. "Oh no."

 _Cuuhh-hhhh-ahh. Cuuhh-hhhh-ahh._

Nick made a face like he had eaten a pawful of spoiled blueberries.

 _Cuuhh-hhhh-ahh. Cuuhh-hhhh-ahh. Cuuhh-hhhh-ahh._

"How could something so small and adorable make a sound like that?" he thought to himself as he put a paw under Judy's chin and softly closed her mouth.

It sprang right back open.

 _Kukkk-kkkkk-ahh. Kukkk-kkkkk-ahh. Kukkk-kkkkk-ahh._

Nick covered his ears with his paws.

It didn't help.

 _Kukkk-kkkkkk-aaaaa-ahh. Kukkk-kkkkkkk-aaaaa-aahhh!_

"Were your parents lumberjacks before they were carrot farmers?"

 _Chaaaaaa-gggggggg-ahhhhhhhh!_

Nick shook his head. "Ugh, this is worse than one of those fox-deterrent air horns."

 _Khaaaaaa-gggggggg-ahhhhhhhh! Zhaaaaaa-gggggggg-ahhhhhhhh!_

The fox shuddered. Although he had just minutes earlier not wanted to disturb the peace, he knew he now had to be the arresting officer if he wanted to get any peace himself. "Hey, Carrots," he said as he removed the blanket and gently shook her shoulder. "Wake up, Carrots. It's getting pretty late. You should probably head home."


	4. Partner

**"Partner"**

Nick swallowed his last spoonful of blueberry ice cream. "OK, Carrots," he said as he sat with his partner inside Jumbeaux's Café, which was now serving mammals of all sizes and species, "I think it's time for me to tell you why I really asked you to come here."

"Besides it being our lunch break and we always eat together?" Judy licked a drip of strawberry ice cream that was running down her cone. "Hmm. Could it be that the twenty dollars I spent on that popsicle when we first met here has been eating away at you for a while, and you want to clear your conscience by treating me to a treat?"

Nick chuckled. " _Twenty_ dollars?" He pointed his spoon at the bunny. "You _are_ sly. It was only fifteen—you chose not to ask for change." He smiled. "But yes, that's part of the reason. But there's a little more."

"OK," Judy said. "What is it?"

"Well," Nick continued, "I know we've only known each other for a few months, but I think these have been the most exciting months of our lives. I don't deserve your friendship, but I value it more than you'll ever know." He cleared his throat. "That's why when you asked me to become your partner, I jumped at the chance. Now I'd like to ask you to be _my_ partner, and I hope you'll do the same." He started to reach into his shirt pocket as he continued, "Carrots, will you—"

Judy's jaw dropped and her ice cream cone followed. "Yes! Yes!" Her heart raced as she reached across the table for Nick's paw and held it in her own. "Oh, Nick! I can't believe this is happening! Yes! Absolutely yes!"

Nick stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide. He certainly hadn't expected this hopped-up reaction. Maybe "jumped at the chance" was another thing it wasn't wise to say to a bunny. "You all right, Carrots?" he asked as he pulled his paw away. "I was just going to ask you if you wanted to be my partner in the upcoming ZPD charity talent show." He slowly reached into his shirt pocket again for the flyer, which he unfolded and handed to her. "I overheard you singing along to one of Gazelle's songs the other day—you've got a great voice. I play the guitar. I thought we could do a song together." He paused for a moment. "What did you think I was asking you?"


	5. The Police Academy

**"The Police Academy"**

Gazelle's latest hit began to play in Judy's pocket. Judy took out her smartphone and answered the call. "Hey, Nick! I was just thinking about you! How was your first day at the police academy?"

Nick sighed. "Much more difficult than I had expected. It was a real struggle to get through the day."

Judy recalled how hard her own first day at the academy had been. The drill instructor polar bear must not have thought Nick had what it took to be a cop either. "Don't let anything get you down, Nick. The first few days are the hardest. You have to stay strong."

"I don't know if I can. I'm thinking about coming home."

Judy was silent for a moment. It hurt her that her friend was having such a rough time. She wished she could be there with him. "No, don't do that," she said softly. "I know it's hard. But I believe in you."

Nick smiled. "Thanks, Carrots. That means a lot to me. But I just don't know if I can survive at a place that doesn't serve blueberries in the cafeteria."

"Wait. This is about ... _food_?"

"Not just any food. You know how I love my blueberries. I can't get any here."

Nick heard nothing but silence for the next thirty seconds. He then looked at the screen on his phone: _Call ended_.

"Dumb fox!" Judy said as she put her phone back in her pocket.


	6. The Back

**"The Back"**

"That's our cruiser on the left," Judy said as she walked with Nick in the parking lot of police vehicles next to the precinct. Chief Bogo had just assigned them to shut down a street racer in Savanna Central. "Ready for your first assignment as a Zootopia police officer?"

"Sure am, Carrots," Nick said. "Let's do this."

When they reached the back of the cruiser, Judy walked to the left to get in the driver's side. After she sat down, she turned to her partner, but he was not in the passenger seat. "Nick?"

She then heard the back hatch open and turned around. "Nick?" she said to him through the partition that usually separated the law enforcers from the lawbreakers. "Nick? What are you doing?"

It took her a second, but it came to her. She laughed. "Nick, get up here with me! You don't have to ride in the back of police cars anymore!"


	7. Discretion

**"Discretion"**

"Got one! Finally!" Judy said as she held the speed gun out the window of the cruiser. It had been a particularly slow day enforcing the speed limit—literally, as every driver had seemed to be obeying it. Until now.

"Come on, Carrots," Nick said. "Pulling someone over for going _three_ miles an hour over the speed limit? This guy isn't exactly Flash."

"Would you rather we ask Bogo to put us on parking duty?"

Nick chuckled. There was nothing worse than parking duty. "The speeder it is!" he said as he pointed up the road. He put his sunglasses on.

Judy shifted the cruiser into drive and turned on the lights and siren. She drove about twice the speed limit to catch up.

No chase ensued; the driver of the yellow pickup truck pulled over upon seeing the cruiser in his rearview mirror. Just another routine traffic stop, it seemed. "Coming?" Judy asked her partner as she opened her door.

"Nah," he replied as he shook his head. "I don't think you need backup right next to you unless a driver is going at least _five_ miles an hour too fast. I'll run a check on the license plate, though."

Judy nodded and then walked toward the truck she had pulled over.

"Come on! Come on! How fast was I going?" the driver started through his window the moment he lowered the glass. "Don't give me a ticket. I don't need a ticket right now. If I get even one speeding ticket I'm going to violate my probation. Four years, the judge said! I don't want to go to prison! I've heard what they do to mammals like me in prison! I'm not going! I'm not! Not! Not!"

Judy took a deep breath. "OK, relax, sir. Right now I just need your license, registration, and proof of insurance. Have you recently used alcohol or taken any drugs?"

"No," the driver replied as he pulled out his license. He slapped it in Judy's paw before getting the other documents from the glove compartment and thrusting them at the officer.

Judy kept her composure, not letting the driver's rudeness get to her. "Thank you." She skimmed his information. "I just need to check our police database now and check with my partner. I'll be back in a moment, Mr. Moonack."

The driver punched his steering wheel three times, his horn sounding with each blow. "What's to check! You're gonna give me a warning! Come on!"

Judy ignored his protests as she walked back to the cruiser.

As soon as Judy opened her door, she found Nick staring at the computer screen, his ears pinned back, his bottom lip quivering, his whole body trembling. She knew his eyes were wide even though he still had his sunglasses on. "Nick? Are you OK?"

He didn't respond.

Judy tossed the driver's documents on the dashboard and gently touched her partner's shoulder. "Nick?"

He jumped with a gasp as he turned to her, but he relaxed when he saw who it was. "Carrots!" he said, panting.

"Nick!" Judy said as she put her paw back on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Nick took a moment to catch his breath. "I just had another flashback, that's all," he said, his heart rate still elevated but on its way down. "I'll be all right."

"What happened?"

Nick shook his head. "Forget it."

"Nick, it's me. You can tell me anything."

The fox was silent for a moment and then removed his sunglasses. He took a deep breath. "The driver is a woodchuck, isn't he? Bart Moonack?"

Judy nodded. "You know him?" She paused for a moment. "Wait, you know everybody. What is it?"

"All I wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts."

In an instant, Judy remembered the story Nick had shared about his childhood. His mother had saved enough money to buy Nick a scout uniform so he could join the local pack, only for Nick to be bullied by the other scouts the night he was to be initiated. The woodchuck boy had been the worst of all, muzzling Nick and leading the other pint-size thugs in their torment of the young fox for being a fox. Nick was never the same again.

"I don't know if it's any comfort," Judy said softly, "but he's still a jerk now. But look what you've become." She reached for the badge on Nick's shirt and gave the gold shield a gentle tug. "You're brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy—everything in that Junior Ranger Scout oath, and so much more."

Nick raised his paw to meet Judy's over his badge. "Thanks, Carrots. I wish I had had a friend like you back then. Maybe I wouldn't have wasted so many years believing I was none of those things."

"I wish you had too." She turned her paw over to hold Nick's, and held it tight. She knew what she had to do. "Nick, I can't give you back those years. But there is one thing I can give you."

"What?"

"Justice."

Judy let go of him and started opening her door, but Nick pulled her back into her seat. "Carrots! No! Whatever you're thinking, stop! It's not worth it!"

"You're worth it."

"Judy!"

"Don't worry, Nick," she said as she wriggled out from under his paw. She took Bart's documents off the dashboard and opened her door. "Trust me."

Now knowing that he had once hurt a friend, Judy approached Bart's window with feelings of disgust and contempt. But she remembered Nick's advice and didn't let it show. "Here's your license back, Mr. Moonack. And your registration and insurance information. For going just a little over the speed limit, enforcement is really at my discretion."

Bart snatched the documents from Judy's paw. "So I'll take my warning and be on my way now."

Judy shook her head. "Not so fast. Keep your paws where I can see them and slowly exit the vehicle." She reached for her cuffs. "You're under arrest."

* * *

The names of Nick's bullies were not revealed in the movie. I am calling the woodchuck Bart Moonack, _moonack_ being a rarely used word for the animal.


	8. Need Help?

**"Need Help?"**

Judy looked up from her phone. "Good morning, Nick," she said as her partner arrived in the ZPD bullpen. She moved over a little to her right.

"Good morning, Carrots," Nick said. He took a sip of his coffee and sat down on the chair they shared.

Judy closed the app she was looking at. She then saw the date on the calendar app icon and was reminded of something. "Hey, Nick," she said as she put the phone in her pocket, "tomorrow's the fifteenth. I could come over tonight if you still need help multiplying."

Nick's eyes widened. His red fur almost couldn't hide his sudden blush. "Uh, Carrots, I've only known you for a few months, and I don't think that's possible anyway. I think we'd have to adopt."

The rabbit tilted her head. "Huh?" Confusion wrinkled her brow more than time had wrinkled her grandmother's. "What's not possible? What are we adopting?"

"Umm ..." So she wasn't talking about _that_. This was awkward. "Did I say _adopt_? Heh-heh. I meant _a dock_. Do you think the chief will assign us to dock patrol today?"

Judy had a feeling that the gears in Nick's mind had shifted into sly overdrive, but she didn't press him. He seemed uncomfortable enough already about whatever it was. "I don't know. Maybe," she answered. "Anyway, as I was saying, tomorrow's the deadline to send in your tax return." She moved closer to him. "And you should really pay this year," she whispered. "I don't want to be without my partner for the next five years. Know what I mean?"

Nick chuckled as a gentle smile formed. "Thanks for looking out for me, Carrots," he said. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."


	9. The Jacket

**"The Jacket"**

The rectangular box was covered with carrot wrapping paper and adorned with a large orange bow. Even if he hadn't just handed it to her, Judy would still know whose gift she was holding.

"Happy birthday, Carrots," Nick said.

"Thank you, Nick," she replied. She turned the box over to find the edge of the paper and started cutting the tape with a claw.

Nick, sitting next to her, watched for a moment and then chuckled. "No need to be so gentle, Fluff. Go savage."

Judy nodded. She put three of her fingers under the edge and tore the paper off in one go. She then turned the cardboard clothing box over and removed the top, finding a navy blue jacket inside. The color was very similar to her uniform pants. "Thanks, Nick."

"You're welcome. I thought you could use a warm jacket as the colder weather approaches."

Judy took the jacket out of the box and held it in front of her.

"It's not new, just so you know," Nick said. "But I think it's your size. Go ahead, try it on."

Judy stood up and put the jacket on. She zipped it up and flexed her arms a few times. "It fits perfectly."

Nick smiled. "I thought it would. You're about the same size now as I was when I was a kit."

"Wait. This was your—"

"I think I was seven when I finally grew out of it. It probably would have been six, but my father was an excellent tailor." The fox stood up and took the right sleeve of the jacket in his paws. "I have a lot of good memories wearing this jacket. Great ones even. They were simpler times. Times before I stopped believing in things. Times when all three of us were together." He moved a paw to her back. "This jacket means a lot to me, Carrots."

Even with her, Nick rarely ever brought up his childhood. Many wounds were still healing, and Judy never wanted to push him. She knew he'd tell her more when he was ready. But she didn't feel right keeping something that had been a part of his life's happiest moments. It had too much sentimental value. "Nick," she said as she took off the jacket, "you should keep this." She held it out in front of him.

Nick took the jacket and immediately started putting it back on the bunny. "No," he said. "This jacket brought me good memories, and this jacket will _still_ bring me good memories. I just won't be the one wearing it this time."


	10. A New Job

**"A New Job"**

Nick rapped the right rear van door a few times and then quickly jumped out of the way. He knew how his former partner greeted unannounced visitors.

"Who is it!" Finnick shouted as he flung the door open, a golf club ready to drive whoever had disturbed him down a fairway that wasn't there. "Nick?"

"Taking up golf now?" Nick said as he stepped forward. "You usually open your van with a baseball bat."

"It finally broke." Finnick lowered the club and rested it on the inside of the other rear door. His eyes turned downward for a moment to inspect the equipment Nick carried on his utility belt and then turned up a little to contemplate his patches and nametag and badge before finally returning to the red fox himself. "I still can't believe it."

Nick shook his head. "No, you believe it. Don't think I didn't see you sitting in the back row at my graduation. It means a lot that you came."

The slightest smile appeared on the fennec's face. "Well, maybe I am happy for you. Just a little." It quickly faded. "But that doesn't mean I haven't had to make huge adjustments to scrape by on my own."

The corners of Nick's mouth rose slyly as his eyelids lowered halfway.

Finnick groaned. "Not likin' that face, man. Is there somethin' about my struggles that amuses you?"

Nick shrugged off the smaller fox's bitterness. "No, no. It's just ... if I could get you a straight job, would you take it?"

Finnick considered for a long moment before breaking his silence. "Depends. What's it pay?"

"Money."

The smile returned. "Keep talkin'."

"A week ago, there was an overnight break in at Jumbeaux's Café. In addition to all the money in the cash register, two plates imported from Arendelle and sixteen glass sundae dishes were stolen."

Finnick nodded. "Yeah, I saw some police tape outside when I drove by. I was wondering what had happened."

"Who do you think solved the case?"

"I'm guessin' you and the bunny had somethin' to do with it."

Nick nodded. "When Judy and I went to the café together to return the stolen items, Jerry Jumbeaux talked to me nearly the entire time. I could tell he was surprised that a fox of all mammals had been able to help him, and had even wanted to help him. I could smell the guilt he was feeling for having thought so little of us for so long. Anyway, it turns out that the sundae dishes were the items Jerry was most glad to have back. They're family heirlooms that have been in Jerry's family for five generations. He said he owed us a favor for their quick and safe recovery, and I took him up on that offer."

"What'd ya ask for?"

"In addition to a free bowl of blueberry ice cream—"

"You're an addict."

"—I told him that I had seen the 'help wanted' sign in the window and that I have a friend who would be perfect for the job. A friend who knows how to make a special product that could be added to the café's menu."

"A special product?"

Nick smiled. "Cold, delicious, organic pawpsicles. And with the jumbo pops already there, you won't need to play dress up anymore." He chuckled thinking about their old scheme. "As cute as it was, a fox can't really be an elephant, not even in Zootopia. But anyone can turn over a new leaf. So, what do you say, old friend?" He extended a paw to the fennec.

Finnick smiled again, but it was a different kind of smile. One not of greed or schadenfreude or mild amusement, but one of genuine happiness. It was his rarest type. "Thanks, man," he said as he shook the paw of his former partner and reacquainted friend. "When do I start?"


	11. A Mammal's a Mammal

**"A Mammal's a Mammal"**

"I remember that Coca-Koala billboard," Judy said from the passenger seat of the police cruiser. She had finally given in and let Nick drive. "We just drove in a big circle." She turned to her partner. "I thought you said you knew every street in Zootopia."

"OK, _every_ was a slight exaggeration. I know 99 percent, and I rounded." The fox turned left down McCorvey Road, another street in the unfamiliar 1 percent, hoping it led somewhere he knew.

Four blocks down, Nick stopped at a red light by a one-story gray building, outside of which some twenty-five mammals had gathered on the sidewalk. They were a diverse group—prey and predator, young and old, male and female, large and small and in between. Some held printed signs with images of very young mammals who were either happy or in great peril; others held paw-written signs with positive messages about life or religious references; two banners proclaimed, "A Mammal's a Mammal No Matter How Small" and "Defund Planned Mammalhood."

Judy was confused by most of the messages. She turned to Nick. "Do you know what they're protesting?"

Nick nodded with a sigh. "I think this is one of those places where a three-humped camel can go to become a two-humped camel."

"Where a pregnant camel can go to no longer be pregnant. A birth center?"

"The exact opposite of that, actually."

"What could be the opposite of a birth center?" She looked at a few of the protesters' signs again and it suddenly came to her. "No! Not allowing a mammal to be born at all! That can't be a thing! That can't exist!" She pulled on the handle and thrust her door open. "Come on, Nick! Let's go! Let's shut this place down forever!"

"Carrots, wait!" He grabbed his partner's wrist before she could leave the cruiser.

"What?" she said as she turned to face him. "Do you think we should call for backup first?"

"Judy," he said as he moved his paw from her wrist to her shoulder, "I hate this place as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do as police officers. Growing up in Bunnyburrow, you probably didn't know, but this kind of place is actually legal in Zootopia."

Judy felt ill. The carrots she had eaten for breakfast wanted to come up. "This is a terrible injustice."

"Yes, it is. But it doesn't have to be forever. Like you said the day my class graduated from the police academy, change starts with all of us."


	12. Academic Performance

**"Academic Performance"**

Nick returned to his dorm room after being summoned to the commander's office at the Zootopia Police Academy. He had never thought that he wouldn't graduate; he had never expected this. Surely there was some mistake?

Nick sat down on his bed in the empty room, his roommates already having gone to lunch, and unfolded the papers the commander had given him, which he had stuffed in his pocket after leaving the office. He examined every grade, every code, and every comment.

There was no mistake.

As reality began to set in, Nick took out his phone. He touched the name of the mammal he trusted most and raised the phone to his ear. She had to be the first to know. She deserved to know.

There was barely a ring before the call was answered. "Congratulations, Mr. Valedictorian!"

Nick nearly dropped his phone. "Carrots! How did you know that? I just found out twenty minutes ago myself, and I haven't told anyone yet."

"Nick, I've known since the day you signed up for the academy."

Nick laughed. "You never told me you were psychic."

"I'm not psychic," Judy said with a laugh of her own. "I just know you. You're smart. You're skilled at reading others. You have a good heart. I knew that if someone believed in you, you'd start believing in yourself. And I knew that if you started believing in yourself, there'd be no stopping you."

Nick smiled. "Thank you, Judy. For everything. You're the best friend I've ever had, and I'm so glad I'll get to be your partner."

"I'm glad I'll get to be yours. Together, I really think we can do anything."

Nick took a moment to dry a small amount of moisture from his eyes with a shirt sleeve before it turned into anything more. "All right, this is getting too emotional. Let me tell you the real reason I called you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "What were your final grades? I want to know if I could have made you just a salutatorian."


End file.
